Review: Chvrches – The Bones of What You Believe

Scottish buzz-band’s sparkling full-length debut

For better or worse, this is the age of the Internet/blog/YouTube star, a time when obscure artists can transform into music mainstays through the click of a mouse. These artists can either take the heat and make a stable career out of their grassroots fame or fizzle out after the success of the one massive hit that prompted their discovery in the first place runs its course.

In fact, in the world of music, it is all too easy to fall short of the hype. Take Lana Del Rey. While she still has her steady fan base, the woozy indie pop singer went from the critic’s shining star thanks to her break-out single “Video Games” to the critically panned lame-streamer who couldn’t get anything right since her debut. And even then, Lana Del Rey is a success story. There are many other YouTube one-hit-wonders who peak all too soon and disappear back into the abyss.

Chvrches does not fall into this category. Instead, the Glaswegian synth-pop trio has proven that they are more than just a passing fad.

Chvrches first burst into the limelight with their internet hits “Lies” and “The Mother We Share.” Before the band released their debut EP, they already had a solid backing. After its release, Recover solidified the explosive popularity of the small band with humble roots. In just over a year, Chvrches had risen from obscurity to become one of the music world’s biggest buzz bands.

Chvrches’ debut full-length album, The Bones of What You Believe, drops tomorrow, September 24th, and combines the old and the new, mixing some of the rising band’s biggest hits with new work. From fun pop tunes such as “We Sink” and “Mother We Share” to dramatic ballads “Tether” and “Science Visions,” Chvrches proves itself to be a multifaceted band while still staying true to its infectious electro-pop style.

The trio’s standout single “Gun” is a joyous-sounding song that at times has a rather disturbing aura. The track — featuring lyrics such as “You better run / so hide, hide,” “I will be a gun / and it’s you I’ll come for,” and “I’m gonna see that you won’t go far” — sounds all too wonderfully spooky thanks to Lauren Mayberry’s childlike vocals. Compared to similarly themed songs, such as Foster the People’s “Pumped Up Kicks” and Lana Del Rey’s “Serial Killer,” “Gun” surpasses all competition and really does creep-pop right.

While some of the album’s most notable songs have been pre-released — “Lies” and “Recover” — the album boasts some pretty great new hits. “We Sink” is an addicting, synth-filled explosion that once again features cleverly off-putting lyrics, including the chorus’ “I’ll be a thorn in your side / ‘til you die / I’ll be a thorn in your side / for always.” In addition, their passionate yet subdued “Tether” is filled to the brim with unbridled emotion.

In their noteworthy track “Lungs,” Chvrches proclaims, “Breathe through me / fill up your lungs with us / I will keep everything / you give me / until the time we let go.” In a way, these lyrics speak perfectly to the album and Chvrches’ career as a whole. There is something addicting in each line, each synth-beat, that keeps people coming back for more. And thanks to this solid album, Chvrches isn’t going to spark, explode, and then fizzle out like countless groups before. At this point, it looks like the trio is planning to be here for the long haul.